Silver Devil
by Gazooki
Summary: Grimmjow's Fraccion prove to be more powerful than they seem, surviving their initial attack on Karakura Town, while Arturo Plateado slowly climbs the ranks of the Espada. How will this affect the outcome of the Winter War?
1. The Survival of the Fraccion

**Bleach Copyright to Tite Kubo and whoever else owns it (not like they'll be reading this). Also, as you might imagine, I'm not the greatest with titles... anyway, hope you enjoy this first chapter, and don't forget to leave feedback when you're done!  
**

"Alright, this is it, time to finish what Ulquiorra started!"

The intense Reiatsu in the area indicated to Grimmjow and his Fraccion that they'd hit the jackpot. The presence of several high-ranked Shinigami meant they could at least enjoy wiping this pitiful town off the map. Grimmjow , with his rictus grin plastered across his face, saw no problem with destroying a nearby building with a Cero, before heading off in search of the strongest source of Reiatsu, leaving his Fraccion to deal with the rest.

Instead of splitting up and tracking down Shinigami, the Fraccion converged in one spot, luring their targets toward them, which would hopefully allow for swift elimination of their enemies. However, as low-level Arrancar, especially D-Roy, they were unable to establish exactly how many they would be facing, which could have led to their downfall.

"Prepare yourselves well, comrades, for there are several Captain-ranked Shinigami among our opponents tonight," Shawlong stated, acknowledging the power of those who would oppose them, "Release your Resurreccions if needed. Snip, Tijereta!"

Shawlong began to transform, half his face obscured by his hollow mask, his hands lengthening and becoming clawed, complete with another clawed appendage growing from behind.

"Erupt, Volcanica!"

Edrad released his Zanpakuto, his arms turning white, growing larger, resembling his Adjuchas form.

"Skewer, Del Toro!"

Ilfort also released his Zanpakuto, his body gaining armour that fused with his body, even covering up his Hollow hole, the end result looking like an overgrown demonic bull. D-Roy and Nakeem elected not to release, the former because he suspected the others would taunt him over how pathetic his Resurreccion was in comparison to theirs, the latter because he was gratifyingly mute and overly-confident that his initial strength would be all he needed.

* * *

"This Reiatsu... it can't be..."

Everyone in the surrounding area who had the ability to sense Reiatsu knew something was wrong, something terrible. After the close encounter with Yammy and Ulquiorra before, Ichigo couldn't afford to take it easy this time. Sure, Yammy wasn't much of a threat, but he was just one Arrancar, and if the rest were anywhere near that power, but more focused, Ichigo knew that he would be unable to defeat them himself. Of course, there were other Shinigami around now, so that would make things easier, but Ichigo felt that he had to prove himself as more than just a Substitute Shinigami, to control his power more efficiently. Once this was over, he'd take up Shinji's offer and join the Vizard, but only for his own purposes.

"Here they come. Keep up your guard, as we are dealing with Captains." Shawlong warned his comrades of the incoming danger once again, re-iterating the fact that if any of them used less than their full strength they would surely fall.

"Who put you in charge?" D-Roy asked, irritated by the temporary leader's manner.

"I am the Undecimo Arrancar, thus I have more experience that the likes of you, Dieciseis."

"Shut it, weakling, or I'll strike you down myself, brother!" Ilfort said, feigning a charge, causing D-Roy to cower while Ilfort laughed at his fear.

"Stop. They arrive." Shawlong pointed past the ruined building that Grimmjow's Garganta had dropped them off near, where several figures could be seen moving towards the Fraccion. Ilfort and Edrad turned around, sensing a spike in Reiatsu behind, as the rest of the Shinigami appeared on the opposite side.

"Got you surrounded! Give it up, Arrancar!" Renji Abarai gloated, swinging Zabimaru forward to strike Ilfort.

"We won't go down that easily, Brother!" Ilfort charged for real this time, catching Renji on the backswing, knocking him back and bringing another building crashing down with the force. The two groups of Shinigami, made up of Renji, Ikkaku Madarame, and Yumichika Ayasegawa on one side and Rangiku Matsumoto, Toshiro Hitsugaya, Rukia and Ichigo on the other, prepared for a gruelling battle, hoping to drive the threat away.

* * *

"Shawlong Qufang, Undecimo Arrancar." Shawlong introduced himself to his chosen opponent.

"Captain of 10th Division, Toshiro Hitsugaya." Hitsugaya returned the favour, before releasing Hyorinmaru's power in the form of a huge ice dragon, "Wait, if you're eleventh, does that mean you're the 11th strongest of all Arrancar?"

"Only the ten strongest Arrancar, the Espada, are ranked in that way. The rest of us are numbered according to the order of our creation. I was the first, hence Undecimo. I must warn you, though, that one of our numbers is an Espada."

"Oh, that's good to know. At least that means this should be a little easier!" Hitsugaya launched more ice towards his opponent, attempting to stop his attack, but Shawlong effortlessly sliced through it before striking down Hitsugaya, who hadn't even thought to use Bankai yet.

"If this is the level of a Captain, it is disappointing to say the least," Shawlong said, digging into Hitsugaya's flash with his taloned hands.

"Is that so? In that case... BANKAI! Daiguren Hyorinmaru!"

* * *

"Growl, Haineko!" Elsewhere, Matsumoto released her Zanpakuto's Shikai against Nakeem, who, by rights, should have been the weakest of the group, having been only Gillian level when he was promoted to Arrancar status. Surrounded by whirling ash clouds, he had to dodge with Sonido to avoid being torn apart, with no time to charge a Cero. Mastumoto gave chase, her Shunpo skills proving to be superior, as Nakeem was unable to stay ahead. Haineko struck with its full force, tearing at Nakeem's outer flesh, but not dealing lethal damage. It seemed that Nakeem had retained some of the high-speed regeneration powers of his previous form, as the shredded skin began to quiver and reform itself, a power that so far had remained unrevealed.

"Impressive. Sure makes up for your poor Flash Step skills, anyway. You guys got a name for that, by the way?" Rangiku enquired, somewhat curious as to how the Arrancar worked, and what differentiated them from the Shinigami.

"Sonido," Nakeem said simply, not wishing to expend time and energy with needless idle chitchat.

"Oh. We call ours Shunpo," Matsumoto replied, before using said skill to lunge forwards and catch Nakeem in another cloud of sharp ash particles.

* * *

"Looks like you're unlucky, since you got two of 11th Division's finest to contend with! Extend, Hozukimaru!" Ikkaku released his zanpakuto, ready to face Edrad Leones in combat.

"Do not think you are so fortunate. You aren't even captains, yet you think you can defeat the likes of me?" Edrad swung his right fist at Ikkaku, knocking him clean off his feet, as Yumichika tried to strike with his unreleased zanpakuto, but the Arrancar's Hierro prevented anything more than a glancing blow. Edrad's right arm swung the other way this time, taking down Yumichika as well. Flames erupted from Edrad's shoulders as he prepared for the final blow, confident that these two low-ranked Shinigami wouldn't survive.

As Ikkaku arose and thrust Hozukimaru forward, he considered whether it would be worth him releasing Bankai. Up to this point, he'd hidden the fact he'd reached Bankai level as he would inevitably be made Captain of another division, and he didn't want to be moved from Kenpachi's squad. He was happy where he was, and nothing was going to change that. Not even a life or death situation like this one. It would've helped if Yumichika hadn't been just stood there preening himself like an idiot and actually released his shikai for once.

"You're good... but not good enough! Have this!" Ikkaku's reiatsu built up at the end of Hozukimaru, focused on breaking through the impregnable barrier of Hierro. The blow struck, and sure enough Edrad was down, but not completely out. After all, that blow only had 20% of Ikkaku's true power behind it.

* * *

"Give it up, brother! You still haven't managed to land a real blow yet!" Ilfort continued to remind Renji who was more powerful, as he had been doing for the whole time they'd been battling.

"Alright, you asked for it, pal! Bankai! Hihio Zabimaru!" Renji called out to his Zanpakuto, bringing forth its full power, in the formed of a coiled skeletal serpent. He'd learned to control it better during the months since Aizen betrayed Soul Society, and now was his chance to test it out in the field of battle. The snake headed straight for Ilfort's mask, but seemed to bounce off without much effect, before one blow from Ilfort's horns completely shattered it.

"Fuck, how did you manage that?" Renji cried in disbelief.

"That's the difference between you and me, brother!" Ilfort said, and Renji sure as hell knew it. This guy was at least as powerful as Byakuya if he was able to smash through Hihio Zabimaru like that, maybe even more so. Renji was helpless, without his zanpakuto's power, he'd have to retreat, or hope that the limit imposed on his power would be released soon, or else he'd be killed.

The arrival of Kisuke Urahara could not have been timed better, as he, Jinta, Tessai and Ururu all joined the fight, after a long trek from the shop. Tessai's high-powered Kido, which didn't even require an incantation, kept Ilfort at bay while Ururu fired blasts of concentrated reiatsu from her cannon and Jinta swung his heavy baseball bat as hard as he could, hoping to concuss the Arrancar.

"Scream, Benihime!" Urahara ordered, his zanpakuto more than happy to oblige, sending a huge crimson blast of energy straight towards the incapacitated Fraccion. It seemed to work, as Ilfort no longer offered any resistance, but now was not the time for any allies of Soul Society to let their guard down, especially not with four other Fraccion in the surrounding area and Grimmjow lurking around Karakura Town.

* * *

"Hey, no fair, there's two of you and only one o' me!" D-Roy, the weakest of the Fraccion, got the worst deal out of all of them, with Rukia and Ichigo ready to unleash their most powerful techniques and destroy him in an instant.

"Sorry, but we don't do fair when it comes to Hollows!" Ichigo said smugly, "Yeah, I went there. Your reiatsu's nothin' special, I've faced Gillian more powerful than you."

"Why you... You better watch the fuck out!" D-Roy removed the blue bandages surrounding his right eye, ready to charge a Cero, which, of course, was anticipated by both Ichigo and Rukia, who both manoeuvred out of the way before attacking in a double-cross formation, leaving a huge X-shaped scar in D-Roy's torso.

"I had no need to even release my Zanpakuto in order to inflict that wound. But before you die, you should at least know the blade that shall take your life. Dance, Sode no Shirayuki!" Rukia's zanpakuto glowed with a harsh white light, and when the light faded the blade had become the same colour as fresh snow, rather fitting as it was the most elegant and beautiful of the ice-element Zanpakuto, "Now is the time of your demise! First Dance, Tsukishiro!"

D-Roy narrowly avoided being caught up in the circle before a cylinder of ice erupted from the ground, freezing all above it. Rukia readied her next dance, Hakuren, but was interrupted by a cry from Ichigo as Grimmjow discovered him at last. D-Roy used this opportunity to land a cheap hit on Rukia, sending her staggering backwards, before piercing her abdomen with the second blow. Seeing this, Ichigo fired off a quick Getsuga Tensho in D-Roy's direction before resuming his battle with the Sexta Espada.

"So, you're the one who Ulquiorra claimed was worthless. Now here's your chance to prove you're worth killing!" Grimmjow attacked ferociously, and Ichigo had a hard time keeping up, parrying blows from left, right, above, behind, just about every direction that he could defend himself from. Grimmjow deliberately took a break from the relentless onslaught to take a Getsuga Tensho to the chest, and Ichigo was shocked to see that it didn't even leave a mark. It was true, he did have a long way to go before he reached the level of the Captains and was ready to take on Aizen.

"Come on now, is that really it? Show me your true power! Don't hold back or I'll just kill you anyway!"

"Alright, this is it. Bankai! Tensa Zangetsu!" Ichigo, in desperation, finally released his Bankai, but even then he couldn't do much to Grimmjow. It seemed like his skin was made of steel, as every attack seemed to just bounce off ineffectively. After one final Getsuga Tensho, using all the power Ichigo could bring himself to use, he collapsed, physically unable to go on.

* * *

After over an hour of complete chaos in Karakura Town, and just before Grimmjow dealt the fatal blow on Ichigo, a Garganta appeared, and Tosen held back the Espada.

"You and your Fraccion have not been ordered to attack. You have violated the laws of Hueco Mundo, and the punishment shall be grave indeed," The blind ex-Captain guided Grimmjow back into the Hollow Realm, his Fraccion tagging along behind. Many of those involved in the battle were quite badly wounded, Rukia impaled by D-Roy, Ichigo close to death due to his own rashness, Hitsugaya still in shock after his Bankai was sliced in half by Shawlong. Ururu would hopefully pull through after being gored by Ilfort's horns after he lurched back to consciousness following a barrage of Kido, and Ilfort himself wasn't in such good shape either, struggling to keep up with the rest of the Fraccion.

"Well, that could've gone better," Renji said, Zabimaru slowly growing back to its original length after being wrecked earlier on.

"Looks like we weren't so lucky after all..." Ikkaku groaned, Hozukimaru shrinking back to its pre-release state.

"That Arrancar ruined my natural beauty. I'd just recovered from the fireworks incident too," Yumichika complained, his kimono still smouldering.

"We'd better head back to Orihime's place, most of us could do with healing," Matsumoto suggested, "Renji, you carry Rukia, Ikkaku can take the boy, I'll take my captain. As for you, pretty-boy, I don't care what you do. It's not like you helped out anyway."

"I did!" Yumichika protested.

"Shut it, and help me move the injured!"

"But..."

"I said do it!" Matsumoto commanded, carrying Hitsugaya despite the fact he was still on his feet.

"If Soul Society had just listened to us and released the limit on our power that would've been easy..." Renji pointed out, still bitter over having to be helped out by Urahara once again. 'If this is what ordinary Arrancar are like,' he thought, 'I sure as hell hope I don't run into an Espada any time soon.'

* * *

Meanwhile, in Hueco Mundo, during Tosen's absence, an exceptionally powerful Espada had entered Las Noches, wiping out Rudobon's Exequias in the process, in order to present himself to Aizen, the self-proclaimed Lord of Hueco Mundo. His brilliant iridescent wings, made from pure reiatsu, signified his immense strength, and Aizen smiled slightly, knowing immediately that this arrancar was quite different to the rest he'd seen in his time...

* * *

**A.N.: This is mostly just a prologue to the real story. At first I tried to follow the initial Arrancar Attack plot pretty much to the letter, but in the end decided that due to the circumstances most of it wouldn't really pan out the same anyway. Also, there will be some favouritism present in this fic, some characters will get a lot more 'screen time' than others. Also, don't expect regular updates, it took two weeks just to write this prologue!**


	2. Kingdom

**As usual, copyright to Tite Kubo, whoever does the scanlations, ViZ media etc. **

**Bit of a shorter chapter this time around, again, it's merely setting up the rest of the narrative without messing up things that wouldn't be affected by the survival of the Fraccion and Arturo's presence in Hueco Mundo. Whether we'll see Ichigo training with the Vizard or not remains to be seen, although it'll probably just end up being a re-telling of a volume if I do.**

"I don't believe I've encountered you before. Tell me your name, Arrancar." Aizen knew he was onto something with this one, the sheer power he exerted was proof of that. Slaughtering an entire army of artificially-created soldiers and forcing their master to surrender was just the icing on the cake.

"I am Arturo Plateado, and I have seen more things than you will ever comprehend, Shinigami. Your army of fleas is nothing!" Arturo's power grew greater with every soul his zanpakuto, Fenice, took, and this was what made him so deadly. If he killed a Captain, he would become as powerful as them, if not more so, and the enemy would serve as fuel for the raging inferno of Fenice. Rudobon was lucky to have escaped with his life, if the sheer overwhelming numbers of Calaveras he could summon without using up vast amounts of his Reiryoku had not been sufficient then he most certainly would have been slain alongside them.

"Tell me, Arturo, how did you acquire such power?" Aizen asked, curious as to how he had been able to fight off thousands of powerful footsoldiers within seconds.

"I will not divulge such facts to a mere Shinigami!" Arturo snapped, thinking little of the Lord of Hueco Mundo. His wings flared, his reiatsu rising to dangerous levels, causing the very foundations of Las Noches to tremble.

"As you wish. However, I wouldn't want to see that power go to waste. Join me, and your power can be used to destroy the Soul Society and the Shinigami you loathe so much. I'll even let you fight Head Captain Yamamoto yourself." Arturo suddenly backed down, the levels of reiatsu returning to their original level, the chance to face Yamamoto once again was too good for Arturo to pass up. At long last, the 1000-year grudge could be settled, and vengeance would almost certainly be sweet.

"Fine. As long as you withhold your promise, Shinigami, I shall comply. But only if you ensure that Yamamoto is mine."

"Those are the terms I set out, and I would never go back on my words," Aizen said, reassuring the Arrancar that he was not being manipulated and exploited for personal gain, even though of course that was Aizen's real intention. He hadn't even had to use Kyoka Suigetsu on this one, which was as impressive as it was completely unheard of. He'd just happened to tap into a long-held vendetta against Soul Society, which was all that was needed to add to the Espada.

* * *

The Shinigami had finally made their way back to Orihime's house, and along the way found Chad, who'd been attacked by Grimmjow. After the tough battle they'd had, poor Orihime had her work cut out healing everyone up, especially in Rukia's case, but with Soten Kisshun being as powerful as it was, it didn't take anywhere near as long as conventional healing techniques, even dedicated healing Kido would often take days to work on wounds such as these.

Once that was finished, everyone except Matsumoto left to collect their gigai and returned shortly afterwards to report the events that had transpired. Ichigo, however, did not return. He didn't even bother to go home to see his family one last time before seeking out the hideout of the Vizard. If there was one thing he'd learned from his encounter with Grimmjow, it was that he needed to become much stronger, and the only way to do that would be to control his inner Hollow. If Shinji would just teach him how to keep it from taking over him, he'd finally be able to take on Aizen and end this once and for all.

Everyone else, oblivious to what Ichigo was planning, crowded round the wall in Orihime's living room, where a conference with Yamamoto took place regarding the recent events.

"The limit was not released? But it was made clear that you would be battling powerful opponents! I have no idea how this mistake was allowed to occur, but rest assured, whoever was responsible won't make the same mistake twice!" Yamamoto's reiatsu alone would be enough to scare the incompetent fools in 12th Division into making sure the limit seal was released on subsequent visits to the Human World.

"Thank you, Head Captain Yamamoto. Now, what was it you mentioned earlier about the library?" Hitsugaya asked.

"Ah, yes. That. It appears that Aizen, before his departure, took documents concerning the Royal Key from the Great Spirit Library after his massacre of the Central 46. Judging by this, it would seem he plans to open the gate to the Royal Palace, putting the King of Soul Society's life in grave danger. If he succeeds, then everything we know could soon be in jeopardy. Even before this, Aizen will need to gather 100,000 souls, from a plot of land with high spiritual energy surrounding it. The only such location today would be... Karakura Town!"

"What?" Orihime couldn't believe it. Sure, it seemed like the only place where Hollows seemed to congregate, as she'd never heard of any other incidents outside the town, but it seemed ridiculouss that she just so happened to live in the one place where Aizen could successfully create a key to another dimension.

"Unfortunately, this is true, Inoue. Your town is the chosen one. But do not fear, young one, Soul Society shall stop Aizen's plans, whatever the cost. If our sources are correct, then it will be four months until the Hogyoku is at full strength. Until then, all of you stay vigilant, especially you, Inoue. Your powers, while not useful for combat, are unique, and you must use them to their full potential. As for everyone else, return to Soul Society immediately for further debriefing." With Yamamoto's last words, the conference ended and the monitor faded to static.

* * *

By the time Tosen had dragged Grimmjow and his Fraccion back from the Human World, Arturo had already killed two Espada, Aaroniero Arruruerie and Zommari Rereaux, and was currently in combat with Tia Harribel.

"Enough, Arturo, the Espada are supposed to number ten, not one," Aizen said, ending the massacre before it was too late.

"Boy, he sure doesn't waste time, does he? Only been here a few minutes and already he's looking like taking Coyote's spot," Gin observed. Tosen cleared his throat to bring their attention to the return of the rule-breaking Sexta Espada and his Fraccion.

"Sorry you had to return to a bloodbath, Tosen, but a new recruit has joined us and was eager to prove himself," Aizen stated, seemingly ignoring Grimmjow.

"My lord, these six should be punished in the only just way for their transgressions. They acted without orders, and the punishment for such a crime, as with all others, would be to execute them all. I do not see Grimmjow as one capable of learning a concept such as justice." Tosen hated Grimmjow, as he was almost an Arrancar equivalent of 11th Division's captain Kenpachi Zaraki, only concerned with reckless destruction with a disregard for life.

"That's a little unnecessary, Kaname. Even though they failed to eliminate their targets, and went against orders, it's the determination that counts," Aizen said, "and besides, we're short on Espada as it is. To lose one is misfortune, to lose two would seem like carelessness."

"You're not seriously considering letting them off with no caution, are you?" Tosen enquired, shocked that Aizen would even think of being so lenient.

"Due to our newest arrival, things have become a little... shall we say, complicated. At least he has the power required to take an Espada's place."

"But Aizen-"

"Not another word," Aizen interrupted, "we need to sort out this mess and find adequate replacements for the deceased before we continue..."

**A.N. Just in case you didn't know, Reiryoku refers to the energy used for Kido and the like, reiatsu is simply the natural spiritual energy that souls have, but can be manipulated in order to intimidate enemies or, in the case of Arturo, grow some badass wings. Next chapter will have more going on, and the new Espada shall be revealed. (Arturo pretty much earned his place already).**


	3. Betrayal

**I don't try to claim I own any of this. I'd prefer to have money thank you very much Kubo-san.**

**A.N.: Took a while, but finally got another chapter up. I don't really get enough time to write properly, which is why most of these chapters tend to be on the short side. Hopefully Chapter 4 will be done by the new year.  
**

It had been a busy time for the Soul Society. While Hitsugaya's group had been dispatched to the Human World and had to fend of Grimmjow and his Fraccion, the Seireitei had been hit by a surge of Hollow attacks, vastly increasing the 4th and 11th Division's workloads. Most of the Hollows were simply low-class savages that even an Academy student could have dealt with easily, but a few of them had some new tricks, and Kenpachi had to step in and dispose of them, shrugging off the barrage of poisonous barbs that one of them fired from its scorpion-esque tail, while shielding Yachiru from a jet of flame from another. Even with these techniques the Hollows were no match for him, but many of his men had been injured, the ranks reduced to headless chickens by the absence of their 3rd and 5th seat, who were battling Edrad Leones at the same time as the cannon-fodder Shinigami ran around waving their zanpakuto around in the hope it would kill something.

Most of the division had ended up in the 4th Division barracks, tended to by the squad they hated the most, but ended up seeing the most often (which may have had something to do with it) and Ikkaku and Yumichika would be greeted with a practically empty 11th Division upon their return. While most of the Shinigami in 4th Division worked hard to get their patients back to the state they were in before the attack, the 7th Seat Hanataro Yamada found himself being called to Captain Unohana's office.

"Y-yes Captain? What is it you wanted?" he asked.

"After much consideration, I have decided to promote you to Sixth Seat. It's only fair, after all, you showed great bravery standing up to Captain Kuchiki. Not many Shinigami would be willing to do that." Unohana smiled as she said this, and Hanataro blushed slightly.

"Well, if I hadn't, then Rukia... I had to save her, my time with her and Ichigo convinced me that she had to be saved, no matter what. He's the reason I've started carrying Hisagomaru round with me."

"I'm glad you finally found confidence in your zanpakuto. It means you're a step closer to being one of the best Shinigami in the 4th Division. Perhaps one day, you'll be in the same position as Seinosuke was."

"Brother... you really think I could be Lieutenant one day?"

"If you keep working hard, anything is possible. Now, off you go, I'm sure there's plenty of patients waiting for someone to treat them."

"Thanks, Captain Unohana, for everything." Hanataro was more cheerful than usual as he left Unohana's office, being promoted to Sixth Seat meant he'd be moving from his old, small quarters to another barrack, which would be roomier, and hopefully his neighbours wouldn't pull practical jokes on him constantly. The amount of times he'd had to redecorate was more than he could even remember. As he made his way back to the ward, Hanataro's mind began to focus on Seinosuke, his brother, and the incident that had occurred 25 years ago, killing the joy that came from promotion and replacing it with deep sorrow and regret...

* * *

It had come as a surprise when Captain Aizen of 5th Division visited the 4th Division for seemingly no reason, and requested to see Seinosuke. Apparently they had some 'important matters' to discuss. Hanataro, unseated at the time, had sneaked out and followed the two, wondering exactly what was going on. For hours, he tracked them, hiding his minimal reiatsu so as not to be discovered. Oddly, it seemed that Aizen simply wanted to discuss the menial tasks that 4th and 5th Division were responsible for, and the respect that everyone had for Unohana, after all, she had been Captain for over 200 years. Aizen himself had been captain for the past 75 years at this point, after the whole Hollowfication incident that led to the creation of the Vizard, and it was no secret that he was at least as powerful as his predecessor, if not more so. Despite the mundane nature of the conversation, Hanataro still sensed something was not right, and continued to follow Seinosuke and Aizen to their destination, the abandoned execution pit, which criminal Shinigami were once thrown into, stripped of their powers by the sekkiseki lining the walls and then ripped apart by Hollows.

"Why did you bring me here, of all places?" Seinosuke asked.

"Because nobody ever comes here any more," Aizen replied, "and I didn't want anyone to overhear our true conversation. You don't belong in the 4th Division, Yamada. Your power is much higher than all the other members, save Unohana herself. I feel that your place would be by my side."

"You want me to abandon my post as Lieutenant and join you in 5th Division? Sorry, but I'd rather stay where I am for now. After all, my brother just graduated from the academy and someone's gotta look after him."

"I understand. But still, have you not considered that your power may be wasted here in Soul Society?"

"What do you mean by that?" By now Seinosuke was becoming extremely wary of Aizen, not knowing what was coming next. He started to unsheathe his zanpakuto, ready to do battle if that was what it came to.

"Do you never feel that all of this is just a waste of your time? That your power could be put to greater use, to rule over the whole of the Spirit World? Doesn't that prospect excite you, commanding Shinigami and Hollow alike, by my side?"

"There's no way I'm working alongside Hollows, Aizen! Give life, Iyashi No Kokoro (Healing Heart)!" Seinosuke fully unsheathed his Zanpakuto, which now became a long, purple blade. Hanataro turned away at this point, knowing what was to come. He considered running, but what good would that do? Who would listen to him?

"Shatter, Kyoka Suigetsu," Aizen said, calmly releasing his Shikai in order to manipulate Seinosuke's senses. Even though he should have been seeing a thick fog at this point, Seinosuke still tracked down Aizen, one blow after another being deflected off both blades.

"That's a fascinating Shikai, Yamada. Would I be correct in assuming it protects you from any effects of the Shikai of other Zanpakuto?"

"That's not all it does! Take this, you bastard!" A vortex of purple reiryoku surrounded them both, trapping Aizen in place, offering the perfect opportunity for Seinosuke to strike. However, Aizen was prepared for this, repelling the blow and scattering the energy that was spiralling around him.

"Your Shikai may protect against my zanpakuto, but does it protect you from Kido? Hado Number 90, Kurohitsugi!" A black box surrounded Seinosuke, then collapsed inwards, crushing his body in the most excruciating way imaginable. Seinosuke could no longer stand, he tried to drag himself along the floor towards Aizen for one last attack, but his body was unwilling to move. Hanataro had begun watching again when it appeared his brother was gaining the upper hand, but regretted it soon after. He could do nothing but sit, frozen in shock, and watch a Captain that everyone had trusted for 75 years kill his own brother.

"You bastard..." Seinosuke's voice was reduced to a whisper by the pressure on his lungs. Aizen placed a foot on Iyashi No Kokori, which had now gone back to its unreleased state, then wrenched it loose from Seinosuke's hand.

"Such a shame that a zanpakuto with such power should have to go to waste," Aizen lamented, before casting it aside, "Now, seeing as your life is nearing its end, I shall disclose my real intentions. It's only fair that you discover the truth before your death."

"I don't even care."

"Well, in that case... Hado number 1, Shou!" The weakest Kido spell was enough to send Seinosuke down the pit of execution, an even worse fate than simply death by Kurohitsugi as he would feel his spiritual power slowly drain from his body as he fell, before the impact brought his life in Soul Society to an end. As Aizen passed by the alcove in which Hanataro had hidden himself, Iyashi No Kokori started to disappear, the ultimate proof that Seinosuke was no more. Once the coast was clear, Hanataro made his way back to the 4th Division Barracks, hoping that he'd be able to come up with an excuse for his prolonged absence.

Upon arrival at the barracks, Hanataro witnessed Aizen's Shikai-enhanced lie to Unohana concerning what happened to Seinosuke.

"While we were out, discussing simple matters, a huge hollow took us by surprise. I managed to slay it in the end, but unfortunately it was too late to save Lieutenant Yamada," Aizen explained.

"This is very unfortunate..." Unohana found it extremely hard to believe this, not knowing how to react, but Aizen had always been an honest man, so she took his word as truth and began to sob, the emotional impact of what she had just heard hitting hard. Aizen placed a hand on her shoulder in comfort.

"Do not worry, he'll be reincarnated, and maybe one day you'll meet him again, in a different form." Aizen did his best to reassure Unohana that everything would turn out alright, while Hanataro became even more nervous than usual due to knowing the truth about the dark events that had taken place, a terrible secret that would haunt him forever. For another 25 years, nobody could know of what he'd seen, or that Seinosuke's zanpakuto not only protected its wielder from the effects of Shikai, but those he considered close to him.

* * *

"So, is this everyone?" Urahara had opened up the Senkaimon again, allowing the various Shinigami dispatched to Karakura Town to return to Soul Society. Hitsugaya looked around behind him, counting the Shinigami in his head to confirm that everyone was there.

"Yeah, this is it," he replied, checking again just to be absolutely sure.

"Alright then, if you'd all step forward, the Senkaimon should be ready to take you all back." The Shinigami did as instructed, and one by one they entered the gateway, with the exception of Yumichika and Ikkaku, who stayed behind for a little while longer than the others.

"So, we got any bounties comin' in?" Ikakku enquired.

"Well, there was an attack on Seireitei while you were fighting the Arrancar," Urahara replied, "but since none of the Hollows killed anyone they're not worth very much. Even if they were, your captain would be the one getting all the bounty points since he pretty much single-handedly wiped them all out."

"In that case it's probably for the best, he'd only give 'em to Lieutenant Kusajishi and she'd just blow 'em all on cake and candy." Ikkaku was disappointed that the 11th Division Bounty Hunter Syndicate had gained nothing at all, he'd been looking forward to a night in the Rukongai upon his return to Soul Society, but the prospects of that happening were slim at best. Maybe Kenpachi would be in a good mood and treat the squad, but then again, he was banned from most of the bars in the better-off Rukongai divisions due to his violent nature. Ah well, they could still dream. Maybe they could persuade Yamamoto to let them stay in the Human World a little longer so they could scout for Hollows. Belatedly, Ikkaku and Yumichika made their way back to Soul Society, where they would find the barracks to be eerily quiet.

* * *

In the dark world of Hueco Mundo, Aizen had appointed Arturo as the new Septima Espada in place of Zommari, after the former overcame the manipulative powers of the latter and killed him with just one blow from the mighty blade Fenice, adding another soul to its power, along with the 35,000 from Aaroniero, although these were all at lowly Hollow level (after all, the former Noveno Espada had only been a Gillian when he became an Arrancar and was therefore made up of far less powerful souls than the rest of the Espada would have consumed). Now, he and Gin had to decide between them who would be the new Noveno Espada, while Tosen had gone off to plan Grimmjow's execution despite orders to the contrary.

"Is there even an Arrancar with the same level of power as Aaraniero in Hueco Mundo excluding the Fraccion?" Aizen asked Gin, who was closer to his subordinates and therefore would know more about the lower-ranked Arrancar.

"Well, there was one Arrancar I had my eye on from the start. Antenor, Luppi Antenor. He's probably equivalent to Grimmjow in terms of power, and he's certainly got the attitude to match."

"Very well, summon him. Also, inform the rest of the Espada that they are to come here immediately to witness the Hogyoku's power."

* * *

Grimmjow's Fraccion held each other responsible for the fact that they had effectively lost to the Shinigami in Karakura Town. Edrad's pride meant he was too stubborn to accept that he had been unable to beat two Shinigami who were reluctant even to release their Shikai, Ilfort and Shawlong had both managed to fend off their opponents for a considerable amount of time and Nakeem refused to speak to anyone. That left D-Roy, whose only contribution of worth was stabbing an unranked Shinigami and then being blasted by a human who'd managed to get himself some power and thought that he was the best around. Even now, D-Roy still carried the scars from his battle with Ichigo and Rukia, a large cross emblazoned on his torso and a black line going down the middle.

"You were dragging us down, brother. We all managed to put up a decent fight, while you just stand there and let 'em come at you! I shoulda finished you off myself!" Ilfort was the most vocal of the group when it came to this issue, making his hatred of his fellow Fraccion clear.

"Where was your pride in battle? You disappointed us all, even Nakeem has more power than you and he was a Gillian in the past!" Edrad reminded D-Roy of his place in the hierarchy, joining in with the jeers of discontent.

"Unfortunately I am inclined to agree with our fellow Fraccion, your performance was poor even taking your injuries into account," Shawlong said, too noble to outright insult D-Roy like the others but still harsh enough to make it clear that he had failed them.

"OK, I get it!" D-Roy snapped, "You gonna offer an opinion, Nakeem, or are you just gonna stand there and stay silent like you always do?" Nakeem stayed silent, not really wishing to get involved in all this.

"Alright guys, shut it already!" Grimmjow attempted to restore order to the Fraccion, ridiculous as that seemed, "D-Roy's one of us. Or at least, was..."

"WHAT! You can't be serious!" D-Roy exclaimed.

"I am. You begged us to let you come with us, and we did. And look where that landed us. You don't deserve your status as Arrancar, let alone as one of my Fraccion. Now scram before I kill ya right now!"

D-Roy beat a hasty retreat, forced to leave Las Noches and roam Hueco Mundo for all eternity by the one Arrancar he had truly trusted. Now, he had nothing. Shinigami would kill him on sight for being affiliated with the Hollows, other Arrancar would probably slaughter him too, and lower-level Hollows were barbarians. This was the ultimate punishment, much worse than anything Tosen could have thrown at him. Exiled by his own master, rejected by those who'd kept him alive, all because he failed to kill an unseated Shinigami. None of the others had caused a fatality either, so it was unfair that he should be the outcast when he got the closest out of all of them to actually killing an enemy. There was nothing D-Roy could do, though, so he simply wandered across the desert, hoping to find shelter.

Meanwhile, back in Las Noches, Grimmjow and the other Espada had been called to an emergency meeting in the throne room. Tosen had now returned from wherever he'd been, still harbouring a grudge against Grimmjow but keeping restrained for the sake of Aizen. Arturo and Luppi stood out at the front, as the new Espada, they had to be introduced formally to their comrades.

"Arturo is the new Septima Espada, and has already proven himself to be capable of handling strong opponents, after all, he is the reason that two new Espada have had to be appointed. Meanwhile, Luppi was appointed due to a recommendation from Gin, but for now is the Noveno Espada until we see his true power. Now, let us begin..." Aizen held out the Hogyoku in his left hand while Tosen brought forward a Hollow wrapped up in bandages, seemingly a Vasto Lorde level Hollow. Several large spikes poked out through gaps in the bandages. Aizen held the Hogyoku close to the hollow's body, enveloping it in a blinding white light. The hollow's body began to shrink to that of a normal Arrancar, transformed by the Hogyoku's power. Once the process was complete, the newly created Arrancar looked up at its master, unaware of the situation.

"Welcome to the world of Las Noches, although I fear you may not remember that for long," Aizen said to the newborn. This Arrancar had no powers of reasoning or rationality, his brain had been fried in the process of creation, but instead of disposing of him and seeing him as a complete disaster, Aizen smiled, knowing that he had achieved the impossible, a customised Arrancar created for one specific situation, Wonderweiss Margela...

**A.N.: Seinosuke Yamada is actually canon, although the lack of information on him was a bit of a problem. All that anyone knows is that he was present at Urahara's promotion to captain. If Trollface Kubo decides to elaborate on his backstory then I'll be pretty pissed off. Also, expect to see a lot more of Hanataro as the story progresses, after all, he's one of my favourite characters :D**


	4. Hidden Information

**As usual, I acknowledge that copyright is to Tite Kubo and the rest of the folks at Shonen, ViZ and whoever else is involved with any of the official material.**

**Took a while to get this done, since I have other stuff needs to be done in real life (and a severe case of writer's block when it came to the middle of the chapter).**

Ikkaku and Yumichika returned to complete chaos in the 11th Division barracks, after the many amateur Shinigami under their control had decided it was a good idea to lure the Hollows that had attacked back to their barracks for an ambush attack, which didn't work out at all as planned due to none of the Shinigami having any sense of co-operation (then again, neither did the Hollows, but at least they were slightly more intelligent). As a result, quite a few quarters had been trashed, and the few unseated members of the division who weren't hospitalised were rebuilding them with the help of a few members of the 10th Division who had nothing better to do. Only Kenpachi, Yachiru and Aramaki were waiting to greet the 3rd and 5th Seat when they arrived.

"Yay, Baldy's back! And the other one, what did I call you again..." Yachiru sometimes managed to forget the nicknames she gave to other Shinigami, which defeated the purpose of giving them names in the first place, but she soon came up with new ones, even making them up on the spot occasionally.

"It's Yumichika, and as far as I can recall your name for me was based around the first syllable."

"Funny how she always remembers mine," Ikkaku groaned, rolling his eyes.

"So how was it in the human world? Was it fun?" Yachiru was now jumping up and down on Kenpachi's back, eager to hear stories of a place she'd never had the chance to visit.

"Well, it was until we fought the Arrancar..."

"Were they strong?"

"Not really, they woulda been dead if we'd had the power limit released."

"Heh," Kenpachi made a sound that was half-way between clearing his throat and laughing, "I coulda taken 'em all on single-handedly, literally! No power limit's gonna stop me, hell, even with my eyepatch most fights are over way too quickly!"

"I would assume the damage to our barracks came from the hollow attacks we heard about." Yumichika noted the damage that had been done while he and Ikkaku were off fighting Edrad.

"Yeah, cos these dumbasses don't know how to fight properly!" Kenpachi gestured towards the few Shinigami who were actually still standing, smacking Aramaki in the face as he did so.

"I think you just put another Shinigami out of commission, Captain," Yumichika said nervously as Aramaki hit the ground several feet away.

"He'll be fine. I think."

* * *

Meanwhile, in Las Noches, Aizen had summoned Ulquiorra to a private meeting in his quarters about his recent visit to the Human World, specifically who he had encountered there.

"If you don't mind, I'd like you to return to the human world along with a few others in order to lure the Ryoka girl out, so that she can be brought to Las Noches, on the condition that nobody is allowed to let her come to harm. Her power is much too valuable for that," Aizen explained.

"Very well, sir, I shall assemble the squad as soon as possible," Ulquiorra replied.

"Good. Before you start choosing, I'd like you to take Wonderweiss out into the Human World with you, simply for experience. He must learn who our enemies are if he is to be of any use in battle."

"You know best, my lord. I shall take him with me and guide him in the ways of the Arrancar." After Aizen left, Ulquiorra began to make a mental list of the other Espada, weighing up the pros and cons of taking each of them to the Human World. Stark, Barragan and Tia Harribel were all higher-ranked than him, so they were out of the question, although Stark would be too lazy to leave Las Noches anyway and Barragan was about as stubborn as it was possible to get. Ulquiorra didn't fancy taking Nnoitra with him either, he'd instinctively attack the girl out of pure sexist hatred, and the orders specifically said not to let her come to harm. Grimmjow was a possibility, but his cocky attitude and lack of restraint counted against him, and the two new Espada, Luppi and Arturo, were intriguing, so they were considered too. Yammy had been to the Human World before, but he was dumb as a sack of hammers and would probably end up killing their intended target accidentally, and Szayel spent all of his time in his lab working on whatever bizarre experiments he had running, so it was down to 3 in no time at all.

Ulquiorra still didn't quite understand why Wonderweiss was so precious to Aizen. According to Tosen he was a "being of purity", which could either mean he was the most refined of the Arrancar, having been born from the original Hogyoku, or that because his mind was completely blank there was not a single corrupt thought in his head, so he would be much easier to control and craft into the perfect Arrancar. But the kid was a complete failure as far as the Espada could see, after all, he was incapable of even speaking, never mind thinking tactically in battle. Ulquiorra hoped that Wonderweiss had some sort of trick up his sleeve, and went off to round up the three Espada he had chosen to form his official team to travel to Karakura Town.

* * *

D-Roy had now been wandering the desert for a day, and his sanity had begun to slip. He was still reeling from the shock of being disowned by everyone he'd ever trusted, especially Grimmjow. In the end it was all down to power, if he'd just been stronger he would fit right in with the rest, but since he'd been attacked early on, before the group had begun their quest for evolution, he was weaker as an Arrancar, and resented this fact every waking moment. The only time he'd ever had any sort of success in battle was against random invading Hollows, the kind that were seen as little more than insects to the rest of the inhabitants of Las Noches.

While D-Roy was deep in troubled thoughts, the sand beneath him began to rumble. In the distance, several large shapes (and one very small one) were heading right towards him. His first instinct was to run, but he thought better of it. If he could just stand his ground against these Hollows his self-esteem would rise a little and he'd be able to resist the urge to drive his zanpakuto through his face for a little longer. As the figures drew closer, D-Roy prepared. He tried to attack, but a huge, snake-like Hollow swiped at him and knocked him back a few feet. The small figure from before stood over him, drooling.

"You deserved that, you big meanie!" a voice yelled from where he'd been stood moments before.

"Who the hell are you, and why's the kid drooling all over me?" D-Roy asked, enraged by how easily he'd been stopped. The other Hollows approached, making sure the child was kept safe.

"Don'tcha know? We're the..."

"We're Thieves Nel-Don-Pe!" The small Arrancar interrupted as the larger hollow tried to explain.

"Hey, that's not what we agreed on!"

"But I'm the great Nel Tu!"

"Alright Nel, you win..."

"I'm here on the ground after attacking you and you're arguing amongst yourselves over names?" D-Roy was baffled by the small argument taking place. The group itself was almost as mismatched as his own, with the little girl, a slender Arrancar and a huge, fat guy who D-Roy couldn't decide whether he was Arrancar or Adjuchas and was covered in spots. Also, there was the matter of the giant worm hanging around behind them.

"Why, I almost forgot, we have visitors!"

"Oh, just get on with it. I know the kid's name, now who the fuck are you two?"

"It's bad to use that kinda language around children don't cha know?" the large Hollow/Arrancar/whatever said in a rather derisive and patronising manner. The skinny Arrancar pushed past and offered a hand to D-Roy, even though he'd just tried to kill them all. The former Fraccion took it, and was back on his feet again at last. The blow from that worm had been worse than initially thought, and just went to show how weak D-Roy was if he couldn't even stand up to a brainless organism.

"Pesche Guatiche at your service, and this here's Dondochakka Birstane. Don't mind him, he can get a little... emotional." D-Roy noticed that there'd been tears streaming down Dondochakka's face the whole time, and his voice had sounded slightly strained, so it made sense that he was slightly over-dramatic when it came to emotions.

"Hey, don't forget our pet, Bawabawa!" Dondochakka said, wiping a few tears off his mask.

"Yeah, that too. So, you wanna join us in our game of eternal pursuit, stranger?"

"Well it ain't like I got anywhere else to go..." And so, D-Roy joined Pesche, Dondochokka and Bawabawa in their quest to chase Nel across the deserts of Hueco Mundo, although he had to use Sonido to catch up after falling behind several times. Still, he was finally a Fraccion again, although this was not to be revealed until much later...

* * *

Back inside Las Noches, Yammy had a sneaking suspicion that Ulquiorra was deliberately avoiding him. He'd gone straight past his quarters without at least acknowledging his existence, and Espada would usually only leave their quarters if they had some sort of assignment or there was a meeting called. Yammy hadn't been informed of any meetings, so he assumed that Ulquiorra was up to something, and for once was correct. Trying to be as quiet as possible, using short bursts of Sonido, Yammy followed behind as Ulquiorra made his way through the labyrinthine halls of Las Noches until he came to a door marked with the number 7. Ulquiorra knocked once before giving up on etiquette and entering Arturo's chamber. Yammy was still a good distance away, not wanting to give away his presence too soon.

"Arturo, our Lord Aizen has requested that we make a tactical assault on the Human World in order to bring back a certain human with powers similar to that of a Shinigami," Ulquiorra explained to the newest of the Espada.

"The human world is of no interest to me. The fleas that inhabit that place would only serve to foul my blade!" Arturo protested, strongly objecting to what he saw as a step down and a huge insult, after all, he was the first of the Arrancar and his only concern was the destruction of Soul Society.

"Our aim is not to destroy, only to distract. It is a delicate balance..."

"**I FUCKING KNEW IT!**" Yammy bellowed triumphantly, "**Going to the human world without me, eh?**" The two other Espada turned around, surprised to see this lumbering oaf in their midst.

"Yammy, not to be insulting, but I just don't think you would be capable of what this job requires."

"You bastard! I'll kill you, and the usurper too!" Yammy's rage was reaching boiling point, and Ulquiorra had to hope he wouldn't see the sense to use his Resurreccion.

"Do you even know what a usurper is, Yammy?" Ulquiorra asked honestly, not expecting Yammy to know the meaning of any non-expletive words with more than about five letters.

"Uh... he's trying to kill Aizen, right? **Right?**"

"Not as far as I am aware, Yammy..."

"That is it! I tire of your anger, ape! Prepare to join the many others who have been slain by my blade!" Arturo unexpectedly unsheathed Fenice, taking Yammy by surprise. A punch from Yammy's recently repaired arm had enough force to send Arturo through the wall, but not enough to keep going until he exited Las Noches itself. Arturo responded by charging forward with his vastly superior Sonido skills, honed over a thousand years of practice deep in the Menos Forest. During those dark times, Arturo had slain his fair share of Hollows, and now Yammy was next to be added to the tally. One slash to the neck and his head rolled along the ground, the wound cauterised by the sheer reiryoku emanating from Fenice.

"That was impressive, I must say. Consider yourself part of the assignment," Ulquiorra said, still taken aback by the events that had just unfolded before him.

"These skills do not come from base emotions such as anger, it is a matter of mastery. If that ape had realised this, he would still be alive and my power would not have grown further, however slight the difference may be." Arturo didn't really gain much from the experience, but it would have to be reported to Aizen in order to appoint a new Espada in Yammy's place. Leaving the body to crumble into dust, Arturo quickly carved off Yammy's tattoo and set off to report the incident, while Ulquiorra set off to inform Luppi of his part in an authorised mission to the Human World.

* * *

Meanwhile, in Soul Society, Hanataro had finally located the Shiba household after a few tip-offs from various Rukongai residents. With the arms reaching outwards from the ground holding up a banner, it looked more than a little bit intimidating for a Shinigami who hadn't seen much art in his lifetime. Cautiously, he approached the door, but before he could reach it he was tackled to the ground by a familiar figure.

"Oh, wait, it's you! That kid who healed up the Ryoka!" Ganju gasped. The poor sap sure didn't look like he'd last five minutes outside the Seireitei, so how had he managed to track the Shiba household down?

"Y-yeah, that's right... ow..." Hanataro struggled to get back up once Ganju had let go, the force of the tackle had been enough to disorientate him quite a bit. The next thing Hanataro knew, a well-proportioned, one-armed woman had appeared and started beating the crap out of Ganju, apparently for no reason. She was shouting something, but Hanataro's hearing was muffled so it all sounded like a wall of static, but from what he could gather he knew Ganju feared her for whatever reason.

"...Fine, sis, I'll leave him to you. They are my boars, after all," Ganju groaned as he walked off towards the house, presumably his destination was a barn somewhere behind (or maybe inside) the house, but of course Hanataro hadn't been here before and had only just got his hearing back properly so could only establish that the situation involved pigs. Now, the woman was coming straight towards him. He put his hands up reflexively, assuming that the next thing that he'd experience was a punch to the face that would knock him out cleanly, but luckily this was not the case.

"Kukaku Shiba at your service, how can I help ya?" She offered Hanataro her left hand (as, of course, she lacked the right), which he took, and found his hand almost crushed by her formidable strength, even 11th Division members would be wary of a handshake so firm.

"Sorry to bother you, ma'am, but would you happen to know where Rukia is?" Hanataro enquired. He looked away as he said this, embarrassed, mainly because he was pretty much at cleavage height and he was torn between either that or the arm, neither of which he thought would go down particularly well with Kukaku.

"Last I heard she was headed out to the Human World. Might wanna head over to 13th Division and ask Ukitake about it, or with a bit of luck she might be there anyways," Kukaku replied. Hanataro relaxed a little, it became obvious that she wasn't as fierce as she had first appeared, although her reiatsu still rivalled that of a Lieutenant.

"Well, thanks... Has Ganju always been like that?" Hanataro asked, not wanting to leave just yet.

"Pretty much. Doesn't help he was raised in the Rukongai for most of his life without his brother, so he ended up picking up most o' their ways instead o' the more noble ways of life. He coulda made a decent Shinigami if he'd just had a brain and a lasting role model. But sadly Hollows exist in this world, and they fucked up our lives, once Kaien was gone, that was it, we lost our status as a Noble House since there was nobody else in charge, and we've been out here for quite a while. Sometimes I miss the old times, but you gotta keep rooted in the present if you're gonna survive, especially out here. Hell, just last week we had an infestation o' freakin' Hollows, crawled in through a crack in-between dimensions that appeared overnight."

"This might seem an odd question, but did you ever happen to know Seinosuke Yamada?" Hanataro had become even more curious, especially since both his and Kukaku's family had experienced the devastating loss of a brother, and in the case of the male siblings had either witnessed the event itself or the aftermath.

"Yeah, I knew the guy. He was trouble. Soon as he walked into a bar everyone else'd be outta there like a shot, cos when he started drinkin'..."

"I don't remember him ever being like that," Hanataro interrupted, "He was devoted to his Captain and his job, and he'd do anything to keep his fellow Division members out of harm's way."

"You sure we're talkin' about the same guy? All I remember is the drunken idiot side of him, hell, I never even found out what Division he was from." As Kukaku recounted tales of the meetings between her and Seinosuke, Hanataro began to question whether he really had known his brother as well as he'd thought. For a long time they'd been split up by the Shinigami Academy and their vastly differing ranks, and it didn't help that Hanataro's zanpakuto was late to materialise. Seinosuke had been gifted with great power from the start and shot up to the rank of Lieutenant in no time at all, and all signs pointed towards him being an honest, hard-working Shinigami, but most of the other members of the Division disliked him, universally calling his adequacy to fulfil his role into question.

"You got much experience out in the field?" Kukaku asked Hanataro, with no indication of why the topic of conversation had shifted from siblings to combat.

"Not really..." Hanataro shifted uneasily, hoping that the situation wouldn't become too violent and explosive.

"Didn't think so. Ya got potential, kid, it's in your reiatsu, but you gotta learn how to use it properly. You're probably more suited to Kido if anything. No two ways about it, you gotta practice in your own time, once you're done healing for the day, work on some Bakudo or something..."

"! THE BOARS ESCAPED AGAIN!" Ganju called, as a stampede of portly porcines charged towards Hanataro and Kukaku, with Ganju hanging onto the back of the leader of the pack. Luckily, he'd had the foresight to throw a firework ahead of him, which exploded violently, sending the squealing animals back towards the barn again. Kukaku gave chase, shouting verbal abuse at Ganju (as was usual in such a situation),leaving Hanataro no choice but to head back to the Seireitei, specifically the 13th Division barracks, to find Rukia and inform her of his promotion.

* * *

Deep within Las Noches, Grimmjow and his fraccion had grown bored. Without their resident punchbag, they had nothing much else to do until Aizen dispatched them on another mission, and that wasn't likely to happen for a long while, especially not with Tosen lurking around.

"So, how long do you give him?" Edrad asked, breaking the silence at last.

"Who, D-Roy? Hell, I'd be surprised if he was still alive, bro!" Ilfort guffawed, severely underestimated his old comrade.

"Well, it has been a day since he was banished," Shawlong observed, "Ilfort may well be correct. D-Roy's power was about level with Nakeem's Gillian stage, and the Hollows inhabiting the vast deserts are often more powerful than that level."

"Heh, fucker deserves everything he gets, he was dragging us down. Every mission we took him on ended up as an escort mission," Grimmjow said. As the discussion of D-Roy's likelihood of survival in the open continued, Ulquiorra entered their quarters, disrupting the flow and killing the atmosphere with his cold demeanour and unreadable expression. Arturo and Luppi stood by just outside the doorway, awaiting confirmation that Grimmjow would be travelling with them to the Human World for their next assignment. While reporting the death of Yammy to Aizen, Arturo had reconsidered his stance on the mission to the Human World, choosing to go along after all, if only to see what kind of Shinigami would be stationed there. Luppi had not taken much convincing, he was willing to do anything that would bring him closer to the top of the ranks, after all, that was what Gin would want.

"Damn, did ya have to burst in like that?" Grimmjow asked rudely, resisting the urge to impale Ulquiorra on the end of his zanpakuto, "This better be important."

"It is," Ulquiorra replied, his reiatsu seemingly creating a void of nothingness, a white realm empty of sounds and emotions, "You and several other Espada have been selected to distract the Shinigami operating in the Human World while I locate our lord Aizen's intended target, a Human girl with unique powers that could help him gain his ultimate goal. Under no circumstances must this female come to any harm."

"Alright, I'll come. Gives me an opportunity to get back at those fuckers after they stood up to us the first time round. And maybe that kid'll show up again. I've gotta see that guy bring out his inner Hollow, just so it'll be all the sweeter when I kill him despite all his power. He doesn't know it, but there is nothing he can do to stop the Sexta Espada!"

"Very well. Meet me outside my quarters in twelve hours, that should be sufficient time to prepare for the journey ahead." Ulquiorra had decided to hold back from telling the group that he'd be bringing Wonderweiss along, as this would probably be quite an off-putting prospect, but those were the orders that had been given by Aizen himself, and his word was final. In twelve hours time, the Espada would be undertaking quite possibly their most dangerous (legal) mission yet, risking their own lives in order to being one girl back to Hueco Mundo...


End file.
